Latch mechanism for sliding door devices



y 9 J. F. METZGER 2,983,000

LATCH MECHANISM FOR SLIDING DOOR DEVICES Filed May 16, 1960 9 FIG.6

INVENTOR. JAMES E METZGER BY 8&5. g

ATTORNEY Un States P tent LATCH MECHANISM non SLIDING noon DEVICES James F. Metzger, Hialeah, Fla., assignor to Morton Tucker, Hialeah, Fla. e

This invention relates to latch devices primarily adapted for use in connection with sliding doors of the type that constitutes a pair of sliding closure devices in overlapping relation and with each door embodying a peripheral frame of generally hollow extruded metal forming a header and sill rails and connecting stiles that jointly support a transparent sheet of glass or the like and with the doors having horizontal traverse engagement upon conventional trackways that span an opening to be covered jointly by the overlapping doors. 7

Y Latch devices for sliding doors of the type above indicated usually have a latching member operable from the inside of the building and, it also frequently happens that the door is closed and latched making it-impossible to obtain access to the building and to avoid this contingency, there has been provided a conventional key actuated cylinder lock that is operable outside of the door to release the latch mechanism and permit entry as desired.

The invention contemplates a novel form of pull handle device that engages within a glass groove of the leading edge of the door and, that extends outwardly from both sides of the door as the means to manually shift the door along its, trackway.

The invention also contemplates a handle as above noted that is shaped to form a channel for the vertical shifting movement of an actuator block that is connected to the latch mechanism and with the block being disposed upon the inside of the door to be movable in the channel of the handle to shift the latch to and from a latching position.

A further object of the invention resides in a latch plate that is pivotally supported wholly within the extrusion of the leading stile member of the door and frictionally rockable upon a non-metallic bearing to dispose a latching arm in position to receive a keeper device carried by the jamb members of the door opening and with the frictional bearing functioning'to maintain the latch bar in either the, active or inactive position.

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings whereinhas been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote likeparts throughout the several figures.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pair of overlapping sliding doors constructed in accordance with the invention,

Figure Z-is a fragmentary inner. side elevation of the leadingstile member of the sliding doors, taken in the area of .the latch device.

Figure 3 is an edge view of the leading stile member illustrated in Figure 2, parts being broken away for purpose of illustrating the internal structure,

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 5,

t 2 Figure 5 is a horizontalsection taken substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 4, and 7 v Figure 6 is a perspective view of a latch bar embodied in the invention.

Referring specifically to the drawings, each door includes a leading stile member 5 that is preferably extruded from aluminum to form a generally rectangular hollow channel 6. The stile members 5 upon their inner edges have been extruded to form inwardly directed grooves 7 and the grooves .7 have mating relation with the other members constituting the frame for the door and provide the mounting means for preferably glass panels 8. The glass panels 8 are held within the grooves 7 by frictional packing, in accordance with the conventional method of forming doors of this type.

T Adapted to be engaged within the grooves 7 of the leading stile members 5, are handle devices, indicated as a whole by the numeral 9. The handle devices are generally rectangular and comprises a sheet of metal that is bent upon itself and proportioned to have its closed end seated within the grooves 7 substantially intermediate the height of the door. The handles 9 include identical side walls 10, arcuate ribs -11 and outwardly and inwardly flared flanges 12. The spacing of the side walls '10 provide a slot that is calculated to be of a width to receive the glass panel 8, while the panel 8 beyond the handle 9 is held within the grooves .7 by the usual and Well known frictional packing. The ribs 11 and the flanges 12 constitute vertical channels upon opposite sides of the door. Slidably received in the channel upon the inner side of the door and guided by the rib 11 and the. adjacent flange 12, is an actuating block 13, preferably formed of nylon or plastics. Theblock 13 is longitudinally recessed as indicated at 14 and with the recess opening at the outer end of the block andterminating in beveled edges 15. V 1

.. Pivotallysupported within the channel 6 of the stile member 5 to be shiftable in a vertical rocking motion,

is a latch bar, indicated as a whole by the numeral 16.

The latch bar includes a fiat plate-17 that is apertured at 1-8 to receive a shouldered preferably nylon bushing; 19. The bushing 19 is frictionally engaged with the ad jacent side wall of the stile member 5 and is held against. movement by a threaded screw device 20. The bushing. 19 is carried .by a head 19' that is provided with a rear.-

wardly extending leg 21. that engages .the handle 9 through an opening in the bottom of the groove 7. A

slot 22 is formed in the forward edge wall that is positioned to receive a fixed keeper 23 that is carried by the jamb members of the wall opening. The plate 17 is provided with a rearwardly extending arm 24 that is flat and that terminates in a rounded head portion 25 that engages within the recess 14 of the actuating block 13.

Movement of the block 13 in a vertical direction functions to rock the arm 16 and the latch bar upon its pivotal mounting with respect to the bushing 19. The plate 17 at its forward end is angled inwardly and terminates in an upwardly extending latch tongue 26, that is beveled upon its forward edge at 27, to engage and underride the keeper 23. The keeper is slotted at 23' for the reception of the tongue 26. The plate 17 is additionally provided with a pair of spaced apart upstanding arms 28' that lie in the path of movement of a preferably nylon cam plate 29 that is fixedly engaged to a key actuated 7 cylinder that is disposed within a barrel 30. The barrel. 30 has an outer head portion 3 1 that lies against the outer' face of the stile member 5 and with the barrel extend ing through an opening formed in the outer side wall of the stile 5. The arm 24 extends through the vertical slot 32, out within the inner edge portion ofthe stile 5 and whereby the arm 24 extends outwardly from the stile to engage the'actuating block 13. The handle 9* 3 is fixedly held within the groove 7 by screws or like fastening devices 33.

In use, the parts being assembled as illustrated, the panel is mounted within the wall opening to rest upon the floor trackway. The latch bar 16 may be actuated to and from a latching position with respect to the keeper 23 by merely shifting the block 13 in a vertical direction within the channel formed by the inner rib 11 and the inner flange 12 of the handle 9, moving the arm 24 in a vertical direction to rock the latch bar upon its bushing support and to dispose the tongue 26 into latching or unlatched position with respect to the keeper 23. If the block 13 has been previously shifted downwardly prior to the closing of the door, the tongue 26 will be elevated and will be disposed in the path of movement to engage the keeper 23. Thus, when the door is shifted to a closed position, the beveled face 27 of the tongue 26 will underride the keeper 23 and permit the door to be fully closed, the door may then be latched by moving the block 13 down, rocking the arm and the plate 17 upon its pivot 19, to shift the tongue 26 upwardly into the slot 23 of the keeper. If the door has been latched with respect to the keeper 23, access may be obtained only by the use of asuitable key for rotating the cylinder within the lock barrel 30, swinging the cam 29 to engage the forward arm 28, rocking the latch bar 16 downwardly to withdraw the tongue 26 from the keeper. If it is desired that the door be locked from the outside, the operator merely inserts the key and swings the cam '29 in an opposite direction to engage the opposite arm 28, such causing the latch bar to rock upon its bushing 19 to move the tongue 26 into engagement with the keeper 23.

The device thus offers a very simple latch mechanism that is controllable from either the inside or the outside of the door and provides means whereby the door may be controlled from either side. Latch devices heretofore employed for sliding glass doors are normally latched from the inside and have no means for opening the door from the outside. Certain of the latches now employed are biased to a latch position automatically when the door is fully closed and are releasable by a handle device upon the inside of the door, such construction '13. The device is cheap to' manufacture, since the latch bar 16 may be stamped from sheet metal and with the bushing 19 and the block 13 being molded from suitable plastics. The latch bar 16 when shifted to a release position as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 4 will remain in such position, due to the frictional engagement with the nylon bushing 19.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claims. 7

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A latch device for sliding doors of the type that include a frame of extruded members constituting stile members and connecting header and sill rails that jointly support a glass panel, the several members being rigidly connected to form a rigidopen frame, the leading stile member being hollow and generally rectangular in horizontal cross-section, the several members being extruded to form glass receiving grooves whereby the groove is continuous throughout the inner periphery of the door, a handle device that is fixedly disposed in seating'position within the groove of the leading stile member whereby to dispose the handle upon opposite sides of the glass panel, the handle upon its exposed faces providing a channel, a latch plate pivotally supported in the leading stile member, the latch having a forward beveled tongue that is shiftable across an opening formed in a forward edge of the stile to engage and disengage an apertured keeper plate that is carried by a fixed frame in a wall opening, the latch plate also having a pair of spaced apart upstanding arms, a key actuated lock supported in a side wall of the jamb, a cam supported by the lock and that is disposed between the arms whereby to rock the latch plate uponits pivot to and from a latched engagement with the keeper, a third arm formed upon the latch plate and that extends rearwardly through a slot formed in a rear edge of the stile to project into a channel of the handle and a slidable block mounted in the channel of the handle to receive the third arm whereby a sliding of the block in the channel will rock the latch plate upon its pivot.

2. A latch mechanism for sliding closure doors of the type that is provided with a glass panel and a peripheral metallic frame and with the frame including parallel stile members and parallel header and sill rails that are rigidly connected together, a leading stile member of the doors embodying a hollow rectangular extrusion that is slotted upon its forward edge to receive a fixed keeper carried by one side of a wall opening, the opposite edge of the stile member being extruded to form a groove throughout its height, a handleforming device that is U-shaped in cross-section and that is adapted to seat withinthe groove, the handle also adapted to receive the glass panel whereby to dispose an exposed area of the handle upon opposite sides of the glass panel, the handle terminating in inwardly directed flanges to form vertical guide channels throughout the height of the handle and upon opposite sides of the glass panel, a latch device including a latch plate that is pivotally supported adjacent one side of the stile, a non-metallic bushing for the pivotal support of the latch plate, the latch plate at its forward end being offset and provided with a latch tongue for engagement with the keeper, the latch plate also being provided with a pair of spaced apart upstanding arms, a key actuated lock device engaged through an opening formed in the opposite side of the stile, the

lock device including a rotatable barrel, a cam device fixedly connected to the barrel and that is disposed to engage the spaced apart arms whereby to rock the latch plate to and from a latching engagement with the keeper, a non-metallic block that is disposed within the channel of'the handle upon the inner side of the door, the block device having traverse engagement beneath an adjacent flange of the handle device, the block being longitudi nally recessed and open at its forward end, a third arm formed upon the latch plate that extends through a slot formed in the rear edge of the stile and with the last named arm engaging within the recess of the block whereby vertical shifting movement of the block within the channel rocks the latch plate upon its pivot to engage and disengage the latch tongue.

3. The structure according to claim 2 wherein the handle is provided with arcuate ribs upon its opposite sides that are disposed closely adjacent to the rear edge of the stile, the said block being arcuately grooved upon its inner end to conform to an adjacent rib, the said block upon its opposite end being beveled to underride the adjacent flange and whereby the block is guided in a vertical shifting movement within the inner channel of the handle.

shaped body that is proportioned to engage within the groove of the stile whereby the handle is substantially identical upon opposite sides of the glass panel and with the handle being reversible in use.

6. The structure according to claim 2 wherein the latch plate is a metal stamping, the said bushing being formed of nylon and provided with a cylindrical extension that engages within a cylindrical opening of the latch plate, the said latch plate being closely adjacent to and parallel with an inner side wall of the stile, the offset' end of the latch plate terminating in the latch tongue that is parallel with the latch plate whereby the tongue is disposed centrally of the stile to engage and disengage the said keeper, the said bushing being provided with a lateral leg extension that bears against the bottom of the fastening screw, the said latch tongue being provided with an inwardly and upwardly beveled forward edge, the

said cam device being parallel with the latch plate for carnming engagement with the first named arms and whereby to rock the latch plate upon its bushing to and from a latched position with respect to the'keeper.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Grizzard Feb. 2, 1954 Migne'ault et al. Aug. 23, 1960 

